Life After Hogwarts
by MysteriousPadfoot2106
Summary: Sirius, James, Remus, Emmaline, and Lily are as close as ever after graduating. But this is life, not a fairy tale, and as they soon realize, their friendship is all they have.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Emmaline Vance, and Lily Evans had graduated with heavy hearts a month back, from Hogwarts. The five seventeen-year-olds were incredible close, and everyone knew it. Lily, Emmaline, and Remus all landed jobs at the Ministry. Their jobs weren't anything too big, considering their ages, but that was fine with them; they had a lot to do with the Order as it was. James and Sirius worked together, as clerks in a Quidditch store in Hogsmead. They all lived dangerous lives, as the Dark Lord and his followers were at their prime.

Emmaline and Lily, who had been best mates ever since their first day at Hogwarts, lived together in a rather large apartment in London. There were two bedrooms of a descent size, a living room, and a dining room that was connected to the kitchen. Although the three Marauders lived in a different apartment, they were more than often found at this one.

Other than the war that was currently going on, and the many lives that were being taken, things were going rather well for the group of friends. Sirius and Emmaline had finally gotten together on the last day at Hogwarts, after seven years of mixed up emotions. Lily and James had been together for six months now, and were incredible happy about it. Although Remus wasn't currently with anyone, he swore to his friends that that was how he liked it, even when they all offered to set him up with a rather good-looking lady from the Order.

Their lives were moving quickly; with pain, death, and happiness surrounding them. It was a rather dangerous life to live, but none of them were complaining, as they had each other, and that was all that they ever needed.


	2. A Brooding Feeling

Lily sat up in bed slowly, and narrowed her eyes. She didn't remember how she had gotten into bed; the last thing she remembered was falling asleep on the couch while she was watching a movie with Emmaline. Groaning slightly, she sat up fully, and glanced at the bed next to her. Emmaline was still asleep, which wasn't much of a surprise. She wasn't much of a morning person, or at least not until 9:00. Lily smiled to herself, and swung her legs over the side of her bed. She grabbed her robe, and pulled it around her before opening the door, and walking into the living room.

Grinning, she shook her head. James was sprawled out on the couch, Sirius on the floor, and Remus in an armchair. As silently as she could, she walked across the room, into the kitchen. Obviously no one was going to be up to cooking other than herself. Flicking her wand lazily, she brought down a pan and a carton of eggs from the fridge. Turning on the stove, she placed the pot and carton down on the counter, and sighed distractedly. It was a rather bright Saturday morning, and she was sure that soon her friends would awake. Turning her attention back to the soon-to-be breakfast, she cracked five eggs over the pan, and watched them run together. It was odd, yes, to compare you're friends to a bunch of eggs, but that was exactly how Lily saw it. They were a close-knit bunch, for better or for worse, through good times, and bad. They had seen some bad times as Hogwarts, but for some reason, Lily had a brooding feeling that they were about to see much worse.

A door opened and closed in the distance, and Lily could hear someone walking towards the kitchen. Lily glanced at her watch; it was 8:30. To her surprise, a groggy-looking Emmaline entered the kitchen, and gave Lily a weak smile, "'Morning."

Lily laughed quietly, "Good morning, Emmy. A bit early for you to be up, isn't it?" she grinned, then motioned over to the living room, "When did they get here?"

Emmaline leaned against the counter next to Lily and sighed sleepily, "At around 10:00. James woke you up, but you were half asleep, so he had to walk you to the room."

Lily smiled to herself, and brought down five bowls. She distributed the scrambled eggs evenly between them; it was going to be a light breakfast, but it was food none the less, "Emmy can you help me set the table? You get the drinks, I'll get the bowls and utensils."

The two girls busied themselves, bumping into each other every so often as they got what they needed for breakfast. Finally, they walked into the small dining area, set the table, and went into the living room. Lily tapped Remus on the shoulder; he was a light sleeper, and easy to wake up. Then she went over to James, and prodded him hard on the shoulder. He woke with a start, and grinned sheepishly as he realized who it was. Emmaline sat on the floor next to Sirius, and drew her kneed up to her chest.

"I don't want to wake him up, he looks tired," she said, and smiled down at him. Lily rolled her eyes at James, who chuckled.

"Em, sometimes I think you're too good to Sirius," he sighed, got up, and stamped firmly on Sirius' leg, "That's the way to wake him up," he smirked as Sirius bolted upright, and grabbed at his leg.

Sirius glared at James, and looked around the room, dazed. When he spotted Emmaline, he looked relieved, "There you are," he put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

XXX

Everyone had finished their breakfast rather quickly, as there wasn't much to consume. An embarrassed Lily kept muttering apologies, which everyone else frowned, and shook their heads at. Emmaline sighed as Lily apologized again, after hearing Sirius' stomach growl, "Lils, if we helped you, there would've been more. Don't worry about it. Besides, Sirius is always hungry," she laughed, and winked at him.

This lightened the mood slightly, and the conversation between James, Sirius, and Remus turned immediately to Quidditch. Once Lily was sure that they were deeply into their argument, she drew her chair up to Emmaline's.

"Look, Emmy, there's something I want to talk to you about," she whispered, glancing up to make sure no one was listening before continuing, "It's just a feeling, but it's one that's been bothering me for a while now. I feel like something bad is going to happen. I don't know what, or who it's going to happen to, but I have a feeling that it's going to affect us more than anything has before."

Emmaline frowned uncomfortably, and ran a hand through her blonde hair, "I've had the same feeling for a while now. But maybe it's just the Prophet, and rumors putting ideas into our heads again. Honestly, with all this talk going around it's a wonder that everyone doesn't become permanently paranoid."

Lily nodded, and felt a small bit of her worries wash away, "Yes, I supposed you're right." Her head snapped around as tap was heard on the window, and she smirked at Emmaline as she noticed it was just the post, "It's already gotten to me."

Sirius, who was closest to the window, stood up, and collected the mail. He dropped a Knut into the pouch tied onto the Owl's leg, and closed the window as it flew away. Sirius sat down, and tossed the mail to his friends on the table as he saw who they were addressed to, "Emmy, some letter from the Ministry, Prongs, an article about a broomstick, Lily, a letter from your mum, and the Daily Prophet."

Lily tore open her letter, and skimmed it quickly before sighing, "It's nothing bad," she smiled at Emmaline, who looked rather concerned, "Just a letter to catch up on what's been going on at home."

Emmaline nodded, before examining her own letter, "I'm going to get ready…I can't open letters that have to do with work when my mind isn't set right yet. She tucked the letter into her robe, and walked into her room, "Oh, and guys," she addressed James, Sirius, and Remus, "you can stay here for the day."

Lily looked up, and was about to confirm Emmaline's invite when she noticed the expression on Remus' face, "What's wrong, Rem?"

He sighed, and bit his lip, "Don't get too worried yet; it could be nothing. I heard some Aurors talking, at the Ministry. They were saying that there were so many murders that they sent letters to inform family members, instead of telling them in person."

Instantly, the mood around the table stiffened, and they all looked at the door that Emmaline had just gone into.


	3. The Worst of All News

Emmaline ran a brush through her hair, watching it smooth out into it's usual straight locks. Sighing, she held a wand up to it, and only after she was sure it was dried, put it in her pocket, and walked out of the bathroom. She was still rather tired, and usually would have stayed in comfortable clothes; the letter from the Ministry ruined everything. Slowly, she walked out of Lily and her room, opening the letter while she went. By the time she reached the dining area where everyone was still seated, she had the letter fully open in her hands. Absentmindedly, she sat down before beginning to read:

_Dear Miss Vance,_

_The Ministry is terribly sorry to inform you that last night, at around eight thirty; the dark mark was spotted over your parent's house. The Ministry was informed immediately, and sent in Aurors to make sure that you're parents hadn't somehow survived. When sent in, they weren't able to find any bodies. We would like to offer you our utmost sympathies._

_Sincerely,_

_The Ministry of Magic_

_Auror Department_

Emmaline frowned down at the letter. That was all there was. No explanation, no more details. Her heart seemed to be beating faster, but Emmaline didn't notice. The words had sunk into her heart, but not into her brain; she couldn't think, or move. After what seemed like forever, the tears came. They fell, and fell, and fell, and as hard as she tried to brush them away, they just kept falling. Somewhere in her consciousness, she felt someone wrap their arms around her shoulders, and although she wasn't sure who is was, she leaned back into them, and sobbed.

XXX

Lily and James were sitting on the floor, leaning against the table in the center of the room. Remus sat in a chair across from the couch, where Emmaline and Sirius were sitting. It was awfully quiet, and awkward in the room; in most situations Emmaline would have been the first one to break the silence, but now it was she that needed the consoling. She leaned her head against Sirius' shoulder and sighed deeply. The continuous crying had stopped long ago, but now and then they would start again, leaving a damper on the overall mood at the apartment.

Just as Emmaline thought she was strong enough to start talking again, a tear slid down her cheek. She turned away from her friends, ashamed of herself.

"It's ok, Emmy," Lily said quietly, "I can't imagine what you're going through, but I know for a fact that it's better to just let it all out."

Shaking her head, Emmaline brushed the tear away with the back of her sleeve, "I feel so pathetic. So many people have gone through, and are going to go through this now that the war is going on. Why should I be crying like this, and feeling sorry for myself when there are so many worse things happening around me?"

Sirius put his arm around her and cleared his throat lightly, "I don't think you feel sorry for yourself. I think you're just feeling angry, maybe even a little bit at yourself."

"Well I _should_ be angry at myself. The last time I talked to my mother I had a huge row with her," she sighed, as her voice was wavering again, "I could have at least sent her a letter saying I was sorry. But you know me, and my bloody pride."

"How were you to know that this was going to happen? Besides, Emmy, everyone has pride, and although you may feel miserable about it, let me just tell you every single one of us wouldn't have written our parents either," Remus said softly.

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better. But I think I should just think about this alone for a while. I don't mean it in a bad way…you all really made me feel better; I just…need to think more," Emmaline sighed, stood up, and walked into her room.

Sirius watched her go, and shook her head, "I feel so terrible. You know how my birthday is next week? I don't think we should go out. It might be too much, you know? We could just hang around here for the day."

James felt a jolt of panic in his gut as he heard these words. They _had_ to go out. Not only had Emmaline made a rather expensive reservation at a restaurant for a surprise, but James had a plan of his own at the party. James could always do it if they stayed here, but he wanted it to be special. Sighing, he comforted himself with the fact that Emmaline would never let them miss Sirius' eighteenth birthday party for her own good.

**A/N: Good/bad/ok? I know it's short, but, you know. I'll make the next chapters longer for sure.**

**Your Authoress: Heh, another cliff hanger. Sorry! And, like I just said, longer chapters are definitely coming up.**

**HPLover12: Brooding means to like worry, or a looming feeling. You were right!**

**Pavement-greengrass: Yeah, I love intense fics. They're really powerful and memorable; I hope mine will have the same affect on people. **


	4. A Day to Remember

"Emmy, just tell me what the surprise is!" Sirius begged, grinning at his girlfriend. Emmaline just shook her head and laughed. It was far too early to let out her surprise. She was in a much better mood, as a week had gone by since she had gotten the news, but everyone knew to be sensitive about what they said around her; they didn't want her to start crying again.

"I can't tell you, I have to take you there. And we can't go there until 8:00 tonight…it's only 5:00. But until then, let's open presents."

Sirius looked down at the heap of presents that his friends had dropped on his lap, "Honestly, you didn't have to do this!"

"Of course we did," Lily smiled, "It's your eighteenth birthday!"

Picking up the first gift, Sirius tore the paper aside, ignoring the looks that Emmaline and Lily shot at each other. He grinned as he pulled out a new broom, "Wow, Prongs. I really needed one of these, thanks!"

"It was no problem, especially considering that we work at a Quidditch Supplies store," James laughed. The next gift was from Lily; a new journal. He had told her that he's used up the pages in his old one at Hogwarts; most of them with ratings of girls. Remus' present was a broom servicing kit, of course, because the Marauders always seemed to give each other gifts based on Quidditch. Finally, he opened Emmaline's gift. Inside was a small book, which he held up, and looked at Emmaline inquiringly.

"It's my old diary. I just thought you might like to read it," Emmaline laughed. Sirius smirked, and put the diary in his pocket, and looked down to find something else hidden in the wrapping paper. As he pulled it out, it made a jingling noise, and his heart skipped a beat as he realized what it was.

"Is this…is this key for a motorcycle?" Sirius had been looking at catalogues of wizard cars, and had instead set his heart on buying a motorcycle. Emmaline grinned at him, and pointed outside.

"Go look for youself!" There was a mad scramble as James and Sirius both jumped up and bounded towards the door. Sirius let out a scream of joy, and James cursed under his breath.

"Bloody hell. I want one of those." He looked at Lily with a hint set in his eyes, but she only rolled her eyes and laughed at him. No way was she going to get James a motorcycle; he was already full of himself, and he didn't need one of them to make him feel like some kind of movie star.

"Thanks, Em!" Sirius hugged her, and sat back down, "Thanks, all of you guys. Seriously, everything was great."

xxx

"Where are we going?" Sirius asked for the hundredth time, as he and James changed into formal clothing. He grumbled as James handed him a tie, "I thought I'd never have to wear a tie again after I graduated from Hogwarts."

James smirked, "Sirius, stop grumbling. Trust me, if you don't, you're going to feel like a git when we get there." He reached his hand down to touch his pocket; he couldn't help doing that every five minutes. James needed to make sure everything went perfectly, and if it wasn't in his pocket, then it sure as bloody hell wouldn't. He grinned to himself as he thought of how everyone's reaction would be; he'd only told Remus of his plan, as he didn't want to give away Emmaline's surprise, "Alright, I think we're ready to go."

They walked out of the living room and out the door where Lily and Emmaline were already waiting. They were both wearing dresses, and looked very made-up. Obviously where they were going was sophisticated. Sirius frowned as James and Remus grabbed his arms, one on each side.

"We have to guide you when we apparate, since you don't know where we're going," Remus explained.

"Ok, guys. We'll see you there in a minute," Emmaline smiled excitedly at Sirius, and she and Lily disappeared with a pop. James, Remus, and Sirius followed.

xxx

Letting out a low whistle, Sirius looked around him in awe. They were at a fancy wizard restaurant in London. He shook his head as he thought of how expensive it must have been for Emmaline to get him a motorcycle, _and_ reservations at the restaurant.

"Surprise," Emmaline laughed, as she took Sirius' arm, and lead him over to the table where they were to sit, "Do you like it?"

"How could I not like this? It's amazing…but you have to let me pay you back…you must've cleaned out your vault to do this for me."

Emmaline frowned, "No. It's you're birthday. Just enjoy it, Sirius!"

They all sat down around the table. It was a great time, talking to each other, laughing; Sirius was incredibly happy at that moment. He had the best friends in the world, and he knew it. Just as they had all finished eating desert, and were about to leave, James took his plan into action.

"Wait a second. Before we get the check I have to ask Lily something," He reached into his pocket, and brought a small box out from under the table. Although it was tradition to kneel down on one knee, James had always found that rather bizarre. Instead, he just grinned at Lily, "Will you marry me?"

She stared down at the ring, dumbfounded, and then around the table. Remus was grinning, Sirius was gaping at James, and Emmaline looked like she wanted to burst out laughing. Lily smiled, and turned back to James, "Yes, I will marry you."

**A/N: Exciting, huh? This was a happy chapter, though it's going to be just one of those rare ones. Please review, and let me know what you think.**

**HPLover12: No problem, and yeah it's kind of hard to have long chapters, but I'm definitely going to work on it.**

**Your Authoress: Here's the update! Yeah, me too, and I don't usually use them, but once in a while I just have to be mean.**

**Pavement-greengrass: Wow, thanks! Hope you liked this chapter as well.**


	5. A Traitor Amungst Us

Lily and Emmaline were sitting in their living room, talking excitedly about the wedding. They were all alone; the others were at their own apartment. The plan was that it would be held in two months, since Lily insisted on being eighteen before they got married. Emmaline, would of course be the maid of honor, and Sirius the best man. Just as they started to talk about decorations, the front door of the apartment flew open, and a distressed-looking Peter hurried in.

"Urgent meeting for the Order at Hogwarts. You can apparate there…Dumbledore lifted the charms for the time being."

Emmaline and Lily glanced at each other worriedly, and then back at Peter. "Do you know what's wrong?" Lily asked, standing up grabbing her things.

Peter shook his head, "No, I don't, and I should leave now. Dumbledore told me to inform _everyone_ in the Order. Get there quickly, or it'll be my head." With that, he hurried out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

xxx

As they appeared in the Great Hall, Lily and Emmaline anxiously searched the crowd for Sirius, James and Remus. When they didn't find them, they walked into the group of people milling around, in search of someone who might know why they were here.

"There's the Longbottoms" Emmaline whispered, pointed towards the couple standing in the corner with worried expressions on their faces. Quickly, they walked over to them, "Do you know what's wrong?"

Alice bit her lip anxiously, and twisted her wedding ring around her finger, "No, but I hope it's nothing too bad."

Frank put his arm around her shoulder, "I don't think it will be. It seems to me that everyone's here," he peered around the room, "So it can't be that someone's left the Order and joined the Death Eaters. That would be the worst thing possible."

"Speaking of everyone being here…have you seen Remus, Sirius, and James yet? They weren't with us when we got here," Lily's voice wavered slightly. Obviously this wasn't an ordinary meeting, and everyone knew it. Looking around, she noticed that a tense atmosphere surrounded them.

Alice nodded, "Yes, don't worry. I think they actually went looking for you two…ah, there they are," she motioned towards the far side of the room.

Emmaline sighed in relief when she saw them walking towards her and Lily. She smiled nervously at Sirius, as he came over and put an arm around her shoulder, "I was worried that something had happened to you," he mumbled into her hair.

xxx

The members of the Order were seated around the Great Hall, looking up at Dumbledore expectantly. If there any bad news to be heard, they wanted to hear it quickly, and be rid of the suspense that lingered in the air.

"I called you all here today, because I have reason to believe that there is a traitor among us," suddenly the mood changed from suspenseful to anxious, "There is no other possible way that Voldemort," a shiver spread through the room, "could have possible found out all that he has. I advise you all to choose your words, and who you say them to carefully. Don't draw too much attention to yourself, and stick close to the ones you know you can trust. Difficult times lay ahead, especially for the members of the Order. I realize that I have probably interfered in your daily lives, and scared you all out of your wits, but this message must be heard, and actions taken."

Remus coughed quietly, and glanced around him; the thought of a traitor sitting with them, listening to this very speech was terrifying.

"Now you may all go back to what you were doing before I so rudely interrupted, but please keep these words in your head," Dumbledore continued, "Trust no one."

xxx

"Trust no one?" James spat the words out bitterly, "What is that supposed to mean? Does he seriously think that I'll stop trusting my best mates?" smirking, he shook his head in disbelief.

Emmaline sighed, "I think he's partly right, James. I trust all of you, but I don't know if I can trust many others. He doesn't mean for us to be paranoid, just aware." She glanced around at her friends. Peter had joined them after the meeting, for a bit of tea, as he had looked rather weary from running about and calling people to the meeting.

Taking another large sip of his drink, he replied, "I agree…I don't think we should stop trusting our good friends."

"I'm scared," Lily whispered, running a hand through her hair, "What if this supposed traitor sells all of us out? Before we know it, everyone in the Order will be gone. Then who will protect the wizarding community? No one. No one at all."

"Don't think like that, Lily. Besides, now that we know that there's a traitor, we won't be telling anyone anything, other than the people sitting here right now. Is that agreed?" Sirius asked.

Everyone nodded, and enthusiastically Peter replied, "Agreed."

**A/N: This is a really short chapter, but I think it's fairly important. Now I need your help…I think this fic is going to be a little short. It's going to include all of the major events, like James and Lily's wedding, having Harry, and them being murdered. But I don't know whether I should make it a long fic, or a fast moving short one. Your opinions are greatly appreciated!**


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